MIT Technology Review Says $20 Phone Could Topple 2G Cell Network

MIT Tech News - By making simple modifications to common Motorola phones, researchers in Berlin have shown they can block calls and text messages intended for nearby people connected to the same cellular network. 

The method works on the second-generation (2G) GSM networks that are the most common type of cell network worldwide. In the U.S., both AT&T and T-Mobile carry calls and text messages using GSM networks.

More on this article click here > Software Update to $20 Phones Could Topple 2G Cell Networks | MIT Technology Review

On This Day in 1992 - Hurricane Andrew

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE - On this day in 1992, Hurricane Andrew made landfall as a Category 3 storm near Morgan City, LA and then moved into Mississippi. 

The outer bands of this storm produced 27 tornadoes throughout the state causing 3 injuries and over $400,000 in damages. This event also caused excessive rainfall in several areas. Collins, Crystal Springs, and Sumrall, MS each received 7.2 inches of rain over the span of just a few hours.  For more on this and other stories click here.

Source: National Weather Service / FCNews Staff 

Today's Weather From Concordia Chamber

VIDALIA, LA - Local weather for August 20, 2013 click here


Source- click here

Jim Bowie Festival Adds More Entertainment; Growing Bigger

VIDALIA, LA -  A Concordia Chamber of Commerce spoke person announced today several additional entertainment venues to be held September, 27th and 28th .... The Harrigill Family Bluegrass/Gospel will perform at 4:00 pm on the 27th and Greg Robinson , a local blues musician, will follow. 
Many features included: 

Country Boy Mark Porter 

• The Jim Bowie Solid Gold Saturday Night with Country Boy Mark Porter, Belle Plain Revival, Natchez Backroads Band, Scratch, Trent LeJune & Doubletime, The Harrigills, Greg Robinson and The Sand Bar Duel Re-Enactment, 
• The Jim Bowie State Championship BBQ Throwdown (KCBS Sanctioned)
• Little Mr & Miss Bowie Pageant 
• Mechanical Bull Buck-Off Contest
• RedNeck Adventures - Archery & Skeet shooting competitions Men, Women's, Youth, and Veteran/Disabled Categories GREAT Prizes and GREAT fun!
• 4H Pet Show & 4H Cookery Contest

This year is going to be BIG!!! See you there!  

Call 318-336-8223 for more information or visit www.concordiapchamber.com for schedules and pricing 

The Concordia Chamber of Commerce  announced the The  Annual Jim Bowie Festival   will be held in Vidalia, La on September 27- 28th.  The festivities will begin Friday the 27th at 4:00 pm with The Harrigill Bluegrass Family; then Mr Greg Robinson, a local blues artist, at 5:30 and at 8:00 pm until 12:00 pm the big band sound of the Belle Plain Revival  which will set the mood for the upcoming Saturday fun entertainment and other scheduled events.

The Saturday entertainment and events schedule begins when the gate opens at 10:00 am for the all day affair. At 10:30 am the Jim Bowie Re-enactment begins and the list of events and entertainment goes on all day ... come join the fun ..

Source: FCNews Staff report/update

Textbook Violations in Mississippi Schools Flagged by Auditor

JACKSON, MS -

The State Auditor says some Mississippi schools are breaking the law. It's because not all students have access to text books after school.  

Books inside backpacks don't make it past school grounds in many districts across the state. And it's not because the kids don't want to take them home.

Read the entire article by clicking here > 

Textbook violations in Mississippi schools flagged by auditor - MSNewsNow.com - Jackson, MS

La State Championship at Jim Bowie Festival & Throwdown Sept 27-28th

VIDALIA, LA - The Concordia Chamber of Commerce has announced it Annual Jim Bowie Festival   in Vidalia, La on September 27- 28th.  The festivities begin Friday the 27th at 4:00 pm with The Harrigill Bluegrass Family; then Mr Greg Robinson, a local blues artist, at 5:30 and at 8:00 pm until 12:00 pm the big band sound of the Belle Plain Revival  which will set the mood for the upcoming Saturday fun entertainment and other scheduled events.

   (to sample a  'Lost in Laredo' song clip by Belle Plain Revival just click here) .....

The Saturday entertainment and events schedule begins when the gate opens at 10:00 am for the all day affair. At 10:30 am the Jim Bowie Re-enactment begins and the list of events and entertainment goes on all day ... see poster below for schedule ... 

The Kansas City BBQ Society sanctioned  Louisiana State Championship  BBQ Team begins with the Jim Bowie Throwdown  featuring some of the best BBQ and some of the most outstanding national, state and local teams in the country will be held during the festivities. 

This outstanding event is planned by the local Concordia Chamber of Commerce and supported by its members, the local citizens  and numerous local businesses.  The cash prize pot is at $10,000 (ten thousand dollars) and it is growing.  The Louisiana State Champion/Grand Champion winner will also receive a 2 night stay  at the Isle of Capri Hotel for 2 people including 2 buffets.  

Deadline for BBQ Team application is September 15th.  The categories are chicken, pork ribs, pork butt and brisket.  

You may contact Ann Westmoreland at awestmoreland@cityofvidaliala.com or Glen McGlothin at gbmcglotlin@yahoo.com for more information or a contest application.  You may also call 318-336-8223 or click here to request more info or vendor application 

There is always lots of  great entertainment at the Jim Bowie Festival and during the  Jim Bowie Throwdown.  Many local businesses and national businesses support the effort along with the many workers and volunteers in making one of the best events in the country …. Right here in our own backyard … put it on your calendar and plan on attending … 

Source: FCNews Staff

Second Hostage Dies After St Joseph Bank Standoff End

A second hostage shot in a standoff in a small Louisiana town has died. Rapides Regional Medical Center spokeswoman Charla Ducote said LaDean McDaniel died Thursday morning at the hospital in Alexandria.

More on this story click here > Second hostage shot during bank standoff dies - MSNewsNow.com - Jackson, MS: 
Posted: Aug 15, 2013 12:05 PM CDT 
Updated: Aug 15, 2013 1:35 PM CDT

Source: CNN ALEXANDRIA, LA (AP) 

'via Blog this'

Peoples Bank of the South to Merge With United Ms. Bank

ROXIE, MS (FCNews) - United Mississippi Bank located in Natchez, Mississippi has made application with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation , Washington, D.C. for its written consent to merge with Peoples Bank of the South, located in Bude, Ms. This action would leave United Mississippi Bank being the majority owner.  It is contemplated that all the offices of both of the banks will continue to be operated as normal.  Based on Section 18(d) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, unless there is no legal opposition to the merger by August 30, 2013 then the merger will take place August 30, 2013. Any person desiring to know more about the non confidential merger application filed in the regional office of the FDIC may do so during normal business office hours by request at either offices of United Mississippi Bank in Natchez Ms or Peoples Bank of the South in Bude Ms. 

Source 

Sources say that the merger talks between the two banks began after  Larry Barnette Hill, 58, of Meadville, Mississippi, pled guilty on April 15, 2013 in U.S. District Court to bank fraud and money laundering.  U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Davis and FBI Special Agent in Charge Daniel McMullen made the Hill public announcement. 

Source 

Larry Barnette Hill served as CEO of People’s Bank of the South in Bude, Mississippi. From 2004 through 2012. Investigative reports indicated he fraudulently withdrew money from the bank’s Payroll Clearing Account and deposited those funds into the bank accounts of his family members and into a “shell” bank account he created for his personal benefit and the benefit of others. Hill also used the bank’s credit card for personal expenses without the bank’s authorization, and took third-party checks issued in the name of People’s Bank to make payments on a personal loan that he held at another bank and to embezzle funds into other accounts he owned and controlled for his own benefit or the benefit of others.

Hill concealed his fraudulent activities by creating false general ledger tickets which appeared to be for bank expenses in order to disguise his fraudulent activities within the budget of the bank. He also falsely inflated the bank’s budget each month in order to disguise additional money he was embezzling. The total amount of loss in this case is still being calculated, but is estimated to be from $600,000 to over $1 million.


Mr. Hill was sentenced in federal court July 16, 2013  to 78 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release for money laundering and bank fraud.   Hill was also ordered to pay $1,243,703 in restitution to People’s Bank of the South.

Source: FCNews Staff/ Public Records / FBI Memo-announcement
For more banking news ... click here 

Please Be Warned About Taking Cell Phone Photographs

 WARNING!!!! If you take photos with your cell phone.  If you, your kids or grand kids take pics from your phone—WATCH THIS!

This is truly alarming – please take the time to watch. At the end they’ll tell you how to set your phone so you don’t run this risk!

PLEASE PASS THIS INFO TO ANYONE YOU KNOW WHO TAKES PICTURES WITH THEIR CELL OR SMART PHONE AND POSTS THEM ONLINE.

I want everyone of you to watch this and then be sure to share with all your family and friends.
It’s REALLY important info, about what your posting things on your cell phones can do TO YOU!!!

Too much technology out there these days so beware………..

PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO WATCH THIS VIDEO, AND TAKE THE RECOMMENDED PRECAUTIONS.

If you have children or grandchildren you NEED to watch this. I had no idea this could happen from taking pictures on the blackberry or cell phone. It’s scary.

Video Here: warning-if-you-take-photos-with-your-cell-phone

Gunman Takes 3 Hostages at St. Joseph La Bank

ST. JOSEPH, La. - A gunman took three people hostage Tuesday at a bank in rural Louisiana. A State Police negotiator was brought in to talk to the man, authorities said.

The man, armed with at least a handgun, took the people captive about 12:30 p.m. at the Tensas State Bank branch in St. Joseph, and the negotiator talked with him throughout the afternoon, said Trooper Albert Paxton, a state police spokesman.

 More On This Story:  Gunman takes 3 hostages at north La. bank - Yahoo! News 

Source: Yahoo News and AP Wire Service

NEW Under 21 New York Driver’s Licenses

Good luck, ReallyGoodFakes.com!  The New York Department of Motor Vehicles is rolling out a new driver’s license that they claim is virtually tamper-proof.

While the makeover is mainly aimed at curbing forgeries that can be used for terrorism and identity theft, New Yorker's under 21 will also find their beer buying abilities impeded by the spiffy new vertical alignment of “Under 21″ licenses, which make it easier for bouncers and bodega owners to weed out underage drinkers. (In 2012, the New York DMV apparently collected 1,450 counterfeit licenses in underage drinking stings.)

Read the entire article by clicking here > Bendy New York Driver’s Licenses Killed by No-Fun DMV | Observer:

Source 'via Blog this'

'Sliders' at Gas Stations Targeting Women

Typically when I think 'sliders', I think of cute little burgers or sandwiches that are hard to resist, but this new crop of 'sliders' is much more dangerous than just a few extra fat grams. Police are warning people, particularly women, of this sleazy new breed of criminals they've dubbed "sliders" who strike when you least expect it.

More On This Story >>> Sneaky 'Sliders' at Gas Stations Targeting Women Nationwide

Praying Couple Lets Their Second Child Die. No Medicine, Just Prayer

In 2009, Kent Schaible, the two-year-old son of Herbert and Catherine Schaible, contracted bacterial pneumonia. Kent could have been saved by doctors, but his parents didn’t give him that chance. Instead, they prayed for ten days… and, to nobody’s surprise, that didn’t help. A few doses of Tylenol could have saved Kent’s life, but his parents decided they had a better solution in mind.

Read the full article here > Christian Couple Kills Their Second Child… with Prayer: 

"Herbert and Catherine Schaible"   'via Blog this'

Lafayette, La Teen Dies After Fall From Balcony

ORANGE BEACH, AL (NBC33) — The 17-year-old from Lafayette, La boy who fell from a balcony while vacationing with his family in Alabama has died as a result of his injuries.

The incident happened on Tuesday, August 6, 2013 at the Tidewater Condominiums in Orange Beach, Al.  We’re told two bystanders found the boy on the ground.  Investigators believe he fell from the fifth floor balcony.

Click Here For More on this story

You Are On My Porch. Can I Shoot You?

ROXIE, MS - On April 15, 2010, Jackson Attorney Clarence T “Gup” Guthrie III wrote an article in his  Mississippi Criminal Defense Blog  pertaining to the “Mississippi Castle Doctrine“. The article was titled …  ‘Can I Shoot Someone on My Porch?’  He wrote in part  ....

In 2006, Mississippi enacted one of the nation’s most extensive “Castle Doctrine” laws.  Instead of making an entirely new law, Mississippi’s castle doctrine comes from an amendment to the already existing “justifiable homicide” statute.

Castle Doctrine laws, or “castle laws,” are based on very old English common law, which recognized that someone’s home is a place where they should be free from illegal trespassing or violent attacks.  As such, the laws gave citizens the right to defend their home (their “castle”), from violent attacks or intrusions, to the extent of using deadly force if necessary.  Each state’s laws are different with regards to the Castle Doctrine, with some having no law at all, all the way to the other extreme, which is where Mississippi is on it.  Basically, the law allows you to defend your home against attack or intrusion without criminal or civil consequences.

 To read the full article by Attorney Guthrie just click here.

A Castle Doctrine (also known as a Castle Law or a Defense of Habitation Law) is an American legal doctrine that designates a person's abode (or, in some states, any legally-occupied place [e.g., a vehicle or workplace]) as a place in which that person has certain protections and immunities permitting him or her, in certain circumstances, to use force (up to and including deadly force) to defend against an intruder -- free from legal responsibility/prosecution for the consequences of the force used. 

To read more about the 'Castle Doctrine' click here > Castle doctrine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

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About the Author as reference above

Clarence T. "Gup" Guthrie III. Gup is a retired United States Marine artillery officer and J.A.G., and has been lead counsel in over 250 criminal and civil trials. He has defended hundreds of DUI cases. Gup believes that paying clients, or serious potential clients, should be able to contact their lawyer at all times, so he can be reached 24/7 by telephone at 601-991-1099, or emailed at clarence@guthriefirm.com.